Statement by Dr. Qu Dongyu - Director-General, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations - 104th Meeting of the Development Committee

Jul 19, 2026

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Statement by Dr. Qu Dongyu to the 104th Meeting of the World Bank Group Development Committee, addressing Financing for a Green, Resilient and Inclusive Development. Emphasizes FAO’s Strategic Framework 2022-2031 and the need to scale up investments to reach its goals, aligned with the Four Betters. Highlights the World Bank–FAO partnership, FAO’s Hand-in-Hand and 1000 Digital Villages initiatives, and progress through the FAO Investment Centre, including project approvals and COVID-19 responsive support, upstream studies, and work in protracted crisis contexts.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages3

Reading Time8 min

104th Meeting statement

Strategic framework and investment scaling

World Bank–FAO partnership after COVID-19

FAO investment support and project development

COVID-19 studies and upstream guidance

Cooperation in protracted crises and value chains

New strategic direction and innovation focus

2021 events supporting agri-food systems transformation

Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE (Joint Ministerial Committee of the Boards of Governors ofthe Bank and the Fund on the Transfer of Real Resources to Developing Countries) ONE HUNDRED AND FOURTH MEETING WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 15, 2021 DC/S/2021-0038 October 15, 2021 Statement by Dr. Qu Dongyu Director-General Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Statement by Dr. Qu Dongyu Director General Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations 104th Meeting of the Development Committee October 15, 2021 Washington, DC Today I am writing in response to the invitation to address the 104th Meeting of the World Bank Group Development Committee. I appreciate the opportunity to address the vital theme on Financing for a Green, Resilient and Inclusive Development, as it is also a key concern for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) . The newly endorsed FAO Strategic Framework 2022-2031, built on the principles of the Four Betters: Better Production, Better Nutrition, Better Environment and a Better Life – leaving no one behind, requires the scaling up of investments to achieve its objectives. The World Bank-FAO strategic partnership is fundamental to ensuring that we have more and better investments as we build back from the COVID-19 pandemic. Since taking office in 2019, I asked FAO Members to support allocating more funds to enable FAO to scale-up investments in the agri-food sector at country level through its FAO Investment Centre, in collaboration with the World Bank and other International Financial Institutions (IFIs) . They unreservedly agreed. Members also further requested more and better investments to boost green, blue and resilient development, using innovative approaches, new technology and more integrated financing mechanisms. I am leading FAO’s flagship Hand-in-Hand Initiative, which seeks to improve food security and incomes of vulnerable, yet promising communities in over 45 countries; as well as the new 1000 Digital Villages Initiative designed to improve the uptake and use of digital technologies across agri-food systems. These initiatives are fundamental in responding to the current state of food insecurity, which has been exacerbated by COVID-19. Up to 161 million more people are facing hunger in 2020, adding to the already 650.3 million who are food insecure. The FAO-World Bank Cooperative Programme has allowed us to make a significant contribution to building back better. I wish to highlight a few key areas where our partnership is already making a difference and can have an even greater impact in 2021. In 2020, the FAO Investment Centre team supported the World Bank and FAO Members to develop 23 agriculture and rural development projects worth USD 5.7 billion in new investments. To this, we can add 14 new investment project approvals from the first half of 2021 for an additional USD 3.2 billion. These projects focus on areas like climate-smart agriculture, sustainable livestock, irrigation and water management and nutrition sensitive agriculture. In partnership with the World Bank, we supported the re-programming of nine ongoing investment projects and the development of seven new projects focused on COVID-19 responsive investment. The FAO Investment Centre also carried out COVID-19-related studies in 13 countries, including One Health studies for Asia and the Pacific, and five fisheries and aquaculture recovery diagnostics in South Asia. These upstream studies offer the opportunity to guide new investments in more resilient agri-food systems. FAO also plays a critical role in supporting the implementation of World Bank financed projects in countries affected by protracted crisis with governments facing capacity gaps, such as in Yemen and South Sudan. In Yemen, we are supporting a new USD 127 million project to alleviate poverty, enhance food security,

FAQs

What theme does Dr. Qu Dongyu address at the 104th Development Committee meeting?

He addresses Financing for a Green, Resilient and Inclusive Development and explains how investment scaling supports these objectives.

How does FAO plan to scale up investments under its 2022–2031 strategic framework?

The framework, built on the Four Betters, requires scaling up investments while “leaving no one behind,” including boosting green, blue and resilient development through innovative approaches, technology, and integrated financing.

What concrete partnership results are highlighted for 2020 and the first half of 2021?

FAO Investment Centre support helped develop agriculture and rural development projects worth USD 5.7 billion in 2020, and it references 14 additional investment project approvals in the first half of 2021 totaling USD 3.2 billion.

Jul 19, 2026

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